Treated paper and nonwoven material for wiping surfaces and method therefor

ABSTRACT

Tissue-type paper and nonwoven material are uniformly impregnated with a nonaqueous liquid carrier selected from liquid hydrocarbons, glycols and pine oils containing an agent uniformly distributed therein automatically, by applying a predetermined quantity of treating fluid to any portion of the nontreated material. The agent is selected from waxes, silicones and materials producing a predetermined odor. The agent does not separate from the carrier until at least the treated material is substantially impregnated, and the carrier and agent remain in the material substantially as when it was impregnated and are deposited in the same proportions as a thin film on a surface wiped by the material.

I United States Patent 11113,619,280

[72] Inventor Fred F. Scheuer 2,584,413 2/1952 Baer et al 106/287 XBronx, N.Y. 2,681,859 6/1954 Wenaas 106/287 X [21] Appl. No. 843,2232,820,719 1/1958 Trusler et a1.. 117/158 X [22] Filed July 18, 19692,933,431 4/1960 Sperouleas 424/28 X Continuation of Ser. No. 475,2343,071,479 1/1963 Fulenwider.... 106/287 X July 27, 1965, abandoned3,230,289 1/1966 Eder et a1. .t 1 17/161 X [45] Patented Nov. 9, 1971[73] Assignee Dustikin Products, Inc. j f immliler wlmam DlMamn BronxNY. sszstan! .rammer-M.R. Lusignan Attorney-Howard C. Miskin [54]TREATED PAPER AND NON-WOVEN MATERIAL FOR WIPING SURFACES AND METHODTHEREFOR 4 Claims, No Drawings US. Cl 117/154, 15/209, 117/155 R,117/158, 424/28 Int. Cl D2lh l/40, D21h 5/22 'Field of Search 15/209,210,506,104.93;106/287C;117/154,158,155 R; 424/28 References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1884 Wheeler 117/158 X ABSTRACT: Tissue-typepaper and nonwoven material are uniformly impregnated with a nonaqueousliquid carrier selected from liquid hydrocarbons, glycols and pine oilscontaining an agent uniformly distributed therein automatically, byapplying a predetermined quantity of treating fluid to any portion ofthe nontreated material. The agent is selected from waxes, silicones andmaterials producing a predetermined odor. The agent does not separatefrom the carrier until at least the treated material is substantiallyimpregnated, and the carrier and agent remain in the materialsubstantially as when it was impregnated and are deposited in the sameproportions as a thin film on a surface wiped by the material.

T A APER AND NQ L-WQVEN. MATERIAL. F WIPING SURFACES AND METHOD THEREFORThis application is a continuation of my copending application forTreated Paper and Tissue, filed July 27, 1965, Ser. No. 475,234, nowabandoned.

This invention relates to a disposable treated tissue and nonwovenmaterial. More particularly, it relates to a treated tissue or nonwovenmaterial, which may be used as is, to wipe a predetermined surface anddeposit a thin, invisible film on such surface, and which material isthen discarded; and a process for treating the tissue and material. Thetreated tissue and material may be used for a variety of personal andcleaning purposes, such as toilet tissue, facial tissue, and dusting andpolishing cloths, and wipers.

Treated paper is old.'l-lowever, all of the treatments to thesematerials are directed solely to affecting the paper or material. Hence,paper has been treated with ingredients that inhibit mold growth,bacteria growth, sticking of candy and the like on or to the treatedpaper. These treated materials are incapable of transmitting thattreatment to another surface, since the treating material is dried orhardened after application. Further, the manner of treatment for paperon one hand, and tissue or nonwoven material on the other hand, isentirely different. Heretofore, paper, cloth or the like was treatedwith the desired ingredients by coating the surface by rollers or othermechanical means, or the paper or cloth was pulled through the treatingliquid. While this method is feasible for strong papers and cloths, itis not practical, or is too expensive, for thin materials or multipletissue paper. Similarly, for certain purposes an agent, such as awater-repellant, was distributed over the surface of cloth by dissolvingthe agent in a solvent, spreading the solution on the surface, andevaporating the solvent, thereby leaving the agent attached to thesurface. This treatment also was with respect to the cloth itself, i.e.,waterproofing it.

The present invention is directed to treating relatively weak papermaterials, such as tissue papers and nonwoven materials. These materialsare inexpensive and are intended to be disposable. The paper andnonwoven materials are treated not for affecting the properties of thepaper and material, but to apply the treating fluid in the sameproportions as originally applied to the paper, to another surface thatis wiped with the treated paper or material, in a thin layer, in whichthe agent is uniformly distributed. In effect, the treated tissue ormaterial acts as an applicator for the treating fluid, even whileperforming its primary function as a facial tissue or wiper or toilettissue or cluster.

The different end uses of the material treated in accordance with thepresent invention require different agents, all of which are completelydispersed in a nonaqueous carrier. The total quantity of treating fluidis applied to any portion of the tissue paper and distributes itselfthroughout the paper uniformly, in the same proportion of agent tocarrier, as originally applied, so that a surface wiped with one portionof the treated paper will have the same quantity of agent remaining onit as another surface wiped with a different portion of the treatedpaper.

it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable treatedtissue or nonwoven material, which is useful for many purposes,including personal, toilet, and dusting and polishing of furniture andglass surfaces, and which is simple and convenient to use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a treatedpaper, which is disposable, economical and effective in polishingdelicate surfaces, such as furniture, cars, metal, plastic and glass,when wiped with any part of this treated paper. The treated paperapplies a nondrying film in a thin layer, so as to provide a maximumpolish and high gloss without leaving any smearing film.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a treatedtissue, which is dry to the touch and having an emollient feel, which isusable as toilet tissue by sufferers of piles and other irritations ofthe anus.

lt is still a further object of the present invention to provide atreated tissue having an emollient feel and a long shelf life, which canbe applied to the nose by sufferers of colds and other respiratoryafflictions, which provides a desired characteristic odor to relieve thedistress caused by these ailments, as well as applying a soothing filmfor preventing chapping and irritation of the skin.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method forpreparing such treated paper in a similar manner.

Treated paper and nonwoven material prepared in accordance with thepresent invention is useful for many purposes, such as cleaning,polishing and dusting various types of surfaces, including furniture,automobiles, glass, mirrors and the like. The treated paper besidespolishing collects and retains the dust in the air with resultingrespiratory dangers, as well as the resettling of the dust on thesurfaces cleaned. The treated tissue made in accordance with the presentinvention is emollient and can be used dry on the most delicate and finewood finishes, and deposits an invisible thin film on the surface wipedwithout the need of further additional material, liquid, or additionalpolishing or rubbing. The present treated paper is easy to use andprovides a high gloss on the wiped surface.

-Additionally, tissue paper may be treated in accordance with thepresent invention with a nonaqueous liquid carrier vehicle and achemical which produces an odor, which alleviates the distressoccasioned by nasal, throat or bronchial ailments. One such chemical ismenthol, represented by the formula C l-l OH and its homologues. Otherchemicals are thymol, represented by the formula CH (C H,)C,,H -,OH andits homologues, and camphor, represented by the formula C l- O and itshomologues. Menthol and thymol and their homologues have properties incommon and may be classified under the broad group of phenols and theircorresponding carbocyclic products of varying degrees of saturation. Thechemical homogenously mixed with the carrier retains its odorformingproperties, even for a long period of shelf life, and produces a slow,continuous release of the odor for a relatively long period of time,much longer than if the chemical were applied directly, and the presentinvention not used.

In use the treated tissue is used in the conventional manner in wipingthe nose. The odors of the chemical used provides relief to the user andthe pliable treated tissue deposits a thin film of oil andodor-producing chemical on the sensitive skin about the nose and lips ofthe user, which oil prevents irritation and chapping of the skin, andthe odor remains for a relatively long period. After use the tissue isdiscarded.

Also, other chemicals can be used to provide desired odors to theimpregnated paper, including essential oils" and artificial scents,which produce animal, tree, plant, flower, astringent and medicinalodors, which are well known in the cosmetic and perfumery fleld.Essential oils" are volatile oils derived from the selected plants andflowers carrying the characteristic odor or flavor of the plant orflower used. (See The Condensed Chemical Dictionary"-7th Edition,Reinhold Publishing Corp. 196 l 1966.)

Similarly, toilet tissue may be impregnated with a liquid hydrocarbonand a silicone, in accordance with the present invention, which willsooth the irritated skin by depositing a thin layer ofoil on the skinofthe user without any greasy feeling.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of treated facial and toilet tissues andpolishing and dust cloths made of paper, cotton and the like, it hasbeen customary to impregnate the material with an aqueous solutioncontaining the treating ingredients by spraying, soaking and the like,which ingredients were then air dried on the material. Because of thenature of the structure of the cloth or special types of paper, thesecould be subjected to treatment with an aqueous solution for longperiods of time without deleterious effect. In attempting to apply theseaqueous processes to the treatment of conventional paper, such as tissuepaper, it was found that the results were not satisfactory. It was foundthat paper treated with an aqueous solution could not absorb more thanone percent of water without altering its structure. The absorption ofthis small amount of water would not result in the deposition ofadequate amounts of the treating material, such as polishing agents onthe paper. It was thus necessary to devise a method to deposit anadequate amount of the treating material on the paper without alteringthe structure of the paper. Also, the dried paper required wetting insome manner from an outside source before using, in order to beeffective.

In accordance with the present invention, the paper being treated willabsorb sufficient treating material, such as a polishing agent, mentholor other ingredients, to render the paper useful for the purposeintended, such as polishing and dusting, a toilet tissue or a facialtype of tissue, without altering the structure of the paper if the paperis treated with a nonaqueous liquid vehicle, in which the treatingmaterial is substantially uniformly distributed. The treating liquid isselfspreading throughout the entire sheet and is spread evenly over theentire surface of the paper. No separate drying operation is required,as was necessary previously.

A variety of nonaqueous liquid vehicles are known, which are useful forthe purpose of the present invention. Among these may be mentionedliquid hydrocarbons, glycols and pine oils. The preferred liquidvehicles are the normally liquid hydrocarbons, e.g., normally lightliquid hydrocarbon oils, aliphatic naphthas, Stoddard solvents,kerosenes (refined), paraffinic hydrocarbons, natural mineral oil andwhite mineral oil.

Since the products of the present invention generally come in contactwith the skin, the nonaqueous liquid vehicles generally employed arethose that are nontoxic or norlirritating when the paper contacts theskin.

All of the ingredients are preferably completely dispersible in thenonaqueous vehicle, and remain so, so that subsequent agitation is notneeded to redisperse the ingredients in the vehicle before use. By usingthe proper percentage of liquid vehicle, a total all-side surfacetreatment is assured. This is especially important when tissue paper isbeing used, which comes in one-, two-, three-, four-ply, or more.

For some purposes, certain agents should be incorporated in the paper.Thus, for example, there may be added to the liquid vehicle a silicone,wax or menthol, scent, perfume or other agent or combination of these,whichwill be absorbed by the paper when the paper is processed inaccordance with this invention.

With the present invention, waxes, scents, pine alcohols, essential oilsand/r silicones can be added to the required degree and the resultingadmixture remains clear indefinitely without separation. This willpermit the production of the treated paper for the many differentpurposes intended in the invention.

Some waxes, which are suitable for use, are carnauba. beeswax,candelilla, paraffin, ceresin, esparto, ouricuri, rezowax and otherknown waxes.

A feature of the present invention is the fact that no separation of theessential constituents of the treating composition occurs. This is trueof the treating liquid before it is applied to the nonwoven material ortissue, as well as the treating composition disposed on the paper ortissue. Since the treatment of the paper in accordance with the presentinvention may involve contacting the paper with a treating solution forseveral days, it is very important that the components of the treatingliquid do not separate out during this period. Furthermore, since it maytake several days for the treating fluid to reach the deeper plies ofpaper, it is essential for the proper treatment of these deeper pliesthat the constituents of the treating fluid do not separate out.

The relative proportions of the ingredients contained in theimpregnating liquid may be varied considerably without departing fromthe spirit of this invention. in the preferred practice of theinvention, the ratio of the treating liquid to the weight of treatedpaper will vary in the range of from about 10 to 70 parts by weight ofthe treated paper. For example, a multiple of paper sheets, size 12inches X24 inches, requires for end use a 25 percent treatment. Theweight of the paper unit untreated is 10 grams; therefore, 2.5 grams ofthe solution is applied to any part of this paper unit, whichdistributes itself throughout the paper evenly in a relatively shorttime.

5 The range of wax or combination of waxes added can vary from I percentto 40 percent of the impregnating liquid, with about 7 percent to 15percent being preferred; the silicone added should not be less thanone-tenth of a percent and the range of the odor-producing chemical canvary from about fif- 10 teen-hundredth of a percent to aboutseven-tenths of a percent, all percentages being by weight of theimpregnated sheet.

The following examples are further illustrative of the presentinvention. It is to be understood, however, that this invention is notlimited thereto.

EXAMPLE 1 The percentages of the materials indicated below in thisexample, are based on the total weight of the treating liquid made inaccordance with the present invention.

Seven percent of camauba wax and three percent paraffin wax was mixedwith a solution containing 87% hydrocarbon distillate" and 3% siliconesuntil fully and uniformly dispersed. Paper treated with this liquid isuseful in dusting and polishing.

" A Colorless, light, nonodorous I00 F. 30/35. Silicons- I00Centistrokes viscosity at I00" F.

petroleum distillate, Saybolt viscosity at Example 2 A solution wasprepared by mixing 1% menthol and 1% lavender with 97% of hydrocarbondistillate" and l% cosmetic silicones This solution is used in treatingfacial tissues. The percentages of materials indicated above in thisexample, are based on the total weight ofthe treating solution made inaccordance with this invention Siliconesnonirritating-20 CentistrokesViscosity at I00 F The above solutions were affixed onto two testsamples of paper. The treating solutions were free-flowing and apredetermined amount was applied locally to one spot or part of thesurface of the paper to be treated. Within a few days, the solutionpenetrated every part of its corresponding paper to provide a uniformdistribution of the treating solution throuh tth dv m t r F m g on epaper an 0 er e en ire sur ace. or e pur pose of this invention, apermanently dispersed and uniform distribution of the vehicle throughoutthe paper is necessary.

In preparing the treated sheet constituting the product of 6 thisinvention, the sheet is treated in any convenient manner with apredetermined quantity of the nonaqueous treating solution from about7/2% to about 70% of the weight of the treated paper product appliedlocally to any spot or part of the surface thereof. The entire quantityof treating liquid applied to the paper is absorbed and retained by thepaper. Ad-

vantageously, the treated paper or tissue is packaged in the normalmanner, and within a relatively short time, i.e., several hours to a fewdays, the treating solution spreads by itself to penetrate every part ofthe paper without any further act being necessary to provide a uniformand homogeneous distribution of the treating solution throughout thepaper. The treated paper feels dry to the touch.

An impregnated paper sheet made in accordance with the present inventionis soft and clothlike, so that it covers all of the areas or surfaces tobe wiped or contacted. The treated paper is pliable and soft, so thatthe most sensitive skin surface or furniture surface rubbed with it willnot be irritated, marred or scratched. Dust or loose dirt on thefurniture adheres to the surface of the treated sheet when the furnitureis wiped by the sheet used as a polishing or dusting cloth. In view ofthe large surfaces of the sheet, a large amount of dust can becollected. lf smearing or transferring a heavy layer of oil to thesurface wiped is to be avoided, care should be taken as to how muchtreating liquid is applied to the paper. Further, the added agents,especially the odor-producing compounds, such as menthol, are retainedon the sheets and on the surface wiped, for long periods of time, withlittle or insignificant loss of effective power. Thus, the presentinvention provides long shelf life for the treated paper.

What I claim is:

l. A medicated tissue for depositing a thin film on the skin of the userwhich emits a medical odor comprising tissue paper uniformly impregnatedwith a nonaqueous treating fluid consisting essentially of a liquidhydrocarbon oil containing an agent uniformly distributed therein, saidagent being selected from menthol, a homologue of menthol, thymol, ahomologue of thymol, camphor, and a homologue of camphor, said agentbeing not less than 0.1% by weight of the treated tissue and thetreating fluid being at least about 7 /2 to 70% of the weight of theimpregnated tissue with the proportion of the liquid hydrocarbon oilbeing greater than that of the agent, there being no separation of theliquid hydrocarbon oil and agent until at least the tissue issubstantially impregnated, said liquid hydrocarbon oil and said agentreleasably remaining uniformly distributed in said tissue during thenormal life of the tissue in the state substantially as when the tissuewas impregnated and capable of being deposited as a film on the skin ofthe user wiped by the tissue wherein the agent and an oil arehomogeneously mixed on the skin of the user to provide a slow continuousrelease of the odor of the agent.

2. A tissue in accordance with claim 1, wherein said agent further hasthe characteristic odor of a selected animal, plant, flower, tree ormedicine, and a silicone, said agent not exceeding 2% of the treatedtissue.

3. A tissue according to claim 1, wherein the weight of liquidhydrocarbon and said agent is at least about l0% to 70% by weight of theimpregnated paper.

4. A tissue according to claim 2, wherein said agent includes about 1%of menthol, l% oflavender and about 1% to 8% ofa silicone, allpercentages being based on total weight of the treating fluid, and saidcarrier being a white mineral oil.

2. A tissue in accordance with claim 1, wherein said agent further hasthe characteristic odor of a selected animal, plant, flower, tree ormedicine, and a silicone, said agent not exceeding 2% of the treatedtissue.
 3. A tissue according to claim 1, wherein the weight of liquidhydrocarbon and said agent is at least about 10% to 70% by weight of theimpregnated paper.
 4. A tissue according to claim 2, wherein said agentincludes about 1% of menthol, 1% of lavender and about 1% to 8% of asilicone, all percentages being based on total weight of the treatingfluid, and said carrier being a white mineral oil.